AWS CloudFormation Ingest examples: Defining resources

When using AMS AWS CloudFormation ingest, you customize a CloudFormation template and submit it to AMS in an RFC with the CloudFormation ingest change type (ct-36cn2avfrrj9v). To create a CloudFormation template that can be reused multiple times, you add the stack configuration parameters to the CloudFormation ingest change type execution input rather than hard coding them in the CloudFormation template. The biggest benefit is that you can reuse the template.

The AMS CloudFormation ingest change type input schema enables you to choose up to sixty parameters in a CloudFormation template and provide custom values.

This example shows how to define a resource property, which can be used in a variety of CloudFormation templates, as a parameter in the AMS CloudFormation ingest CT. The examples in this section specifically show SNS topic usage.

Example 1: Hard code the AWS CloudFormation SNSTopic resource TopicName property

In this example, you hard code the AWS CloudFormation SNSTopic resource TopicName property in the CloudFormation template. Note that the Parameters section is empty.

To have a CloudFormation template that allows you to change the value for the SNSTopic name for a new stack without having to create a new CloudFormation template, you can use the AMS Parameters section of the CloudFormation ingest change type to make that configuration. By doing this, you use the same CloudFormation template later to create a new stack with a different SNSTopic name.

{
  "AWSTemplateFormatVersion" : "2010-09-09",
  "Description" : "My SNS Topic",
  "Parameters" : {
  },
  "Resources" : {
    "SNSTopic" : {
      "Type" : "AWS::SNS::Topic",
      "Properties" : {
        "TopicName" : "MyTopicName"
      }
    }
  }
}

Example 2: Use an SNSTopic resource to reference a parameter in the AMS change type

In this example, you use an SNSTopic resource TopicName property defined in the CloudFormation template to reference a Parameter in the AMS change type.

{
  "AWSTemplateFormatVersion" : "2010-09-09",
  "Description" : "My SNS Topic",
  "Parameters" : {
    "TopicName" : {
      "Type" : "String",
      "Description" : "Topic ID",
      "Default" : "MyTopicName"
    }
  },
  "Resources" : {
    "SNSTopic" : {
      "Type" : "AWS::SNS::Topic",
      "Properties" : {
        "TopicName" : { "Ref" : "TopicName"}
      }
    }
  }
}

Example 3: Create an SNS topic by submitting a JSON execution parameters file with the AMS ingest change type

In this example, you submit a JSON execution parameters file with the AMS ingest CT that creates the SNS topic TopicName. The SNS topic must be defined in the CloudFormation template in the modifiable way shown in this example.

{
  "Name": "cfn-ingest",
  "Description": "CFNIngest Web Application Stack",
  "CloudFormationTemplateS3Endpoint": "$S3_PRESIGNED_URL",
  "VpcId": "VPC_ID",
  "Tags": [
    {"Key": "Enviroment Type", "Value": "Dev"}
  ],
  "Parameters": [
    {"Name": "TopicName", "Value": "MyTopic1"}
  ],
  "TimeoutInMinutes": 60
}

Example 4: Submit a new change type that references the same CloudFormation template

This JSON example changes the SNS TopicName value without making a change to the CloudFormation template. Instead, you submit a new Deployment | Ingestion | Stack from CloudFormation Template | Create change type that references the same CFN template.

{
  "Name": "cfn-ingest",
  "Description": "CFNIngest Web Application Stack",
  "CloudFormationTemplateS3Endpoint": "$S3_PRESIGNED_URL",
  "VpcId": "VPC_ID",
  "Tags": [
    {"Key": "Enviroment Type", "Value": "Dev"}
  ],
  "Parameters": [
    {"Name": "TopicName", "Value": "MyTopic2"}
  ],
  "TimeoutInMinutes": 60
}

Example 5: Use the default parameter values in the CloudFormation template

In this example, the SNS TopicName = 'MyTopicName' is created because no TopicName value was provided in the Parameters execution parameter. If you don't provide Parameters definitions, the default parameter values in the CloudFormation template are used.

{
  "Name": "cfn-ingest",
  "Description": "CFNIngest Web Application Stack",
  "CloudFormationTemplateS3Endpoint": "$S3_PRESIGNED_URL",
  "VpcId": "VPC_ID",
  "Tags": [
    {"Key": "Enviroment Type", "Value": "Dev"}
  ],
  "TimeoutInMinutes": 60
}